Pietrasanta may be called The Little Athens of Italy but I would call it The Santa Fe of Italy.
When I lived in Santa Fe I loved the Canyon Road Art Walk that happens every fourth Friday evening.
Santa Fe’s historic Canyon Road goes back to the mid-eighteenth century is lined with about 130 galleries, in colorful adobe buildings. Rising beyond the road’s end are the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Behind the galleries are charming gardens with sculptures and on Art Walk nights free wine is often supplied.
I visited Pietrasanta recently to see the Umbrella Exhibit, and as I poked in the open-at-night galleries, I was reminded of Santa Fe.
Just like in Santa Fe: Some of the galleries have gardens at the back, the atmosphere is elegant, the summer nights are warm, mountains rise behind the town, the streets are welcoming to pedestrians, the architecture is lovely, the town is historic, and there’s a conviviality of people outside, sipping wine, looking at art, and at each other.
Both Santa Fe and Pietrasanta have been called home by leading artists of the twentieth century: Georgia O’ Keeffe, pioneer of American modernism found inspiration in Santa Fe and lived there or near there, from the 1940s to her death in the 1980s, while the Colombian sculptor Fernando Botero took up residence in Pietrasanta in the 1970s and today calls it his favorite place to work.
In an inteview with The Florentine Botero said,
“Pietrasanta is a city that was made for sculptors. There are seven foundries and many marble artisans. Everyone here knows me and my wife very well. They call us by name and they invite us to the bar for a drink, as if we were all old friends. I’ve worked in Paris, Berlin, Switzerland, but here everything is easier and more enjoyable.”
Don’t miss Botero’s frescos of Heaven and Hell in the Church of Sant’ Antonio Abate in Pietrasanta.
I had been to Pietrasanta once before, on a hot afternoon when most things were closed. It’s a whole other animal at night. During the day the streets are mostly absent of the colorful chairs and lantern-lit tables, and the galleries are not as noticeable.
A summer night in Pietrasanta was a revelation.
I found it absolutely magical with the colorful umbrellas above the streets mimicking the colorful tables and chairs and below. Lanterns and candles gave off a gold light and every restaurant I passed was more lovely than the one prior.
In the piazza people gathered to watch a busker, and the Duomo from its perch was so pretty with its rosetta window ringed with light and it’s marble facade all creamy. I couldn’t help but enthuse to a bar owner about how beautiful his town is.
“We’ve had a lot of success with the umbrellas,” he tells me.
“They render the town absolutely magical,” I reply.
“Yes, it’s been extended into September because people love it so much,” he says.
The exhibit has enchanted everyone, and caused a record amount of instagram photos this summer with the hashtag #Pietrasanta.
While the Umbrella Exhibit will end September 16, you’ll still find Pietrasanta dreamy on a summer night, so add it to your Tuscan plans! And if you love the charm and art-focus of Santa Fe, you’ll be thrilled with Pietrasanta—particularly on a warm night when the art galleries and restaurants are all a buzz.
Good read thanks, somewhere else to visit!
I LIVE in Sicily, somewhere that i suggest everyone visits, Mt Etna is amazing and the winter weather is great!
Oh yes, food is better than the rest of Italy too!
ahhaha
Hi Kenny,
Thanks for visiting my site. Yes, Mt Etna is amazing!
This is so neat! Your photographs are great; they set the scene really well.
Thanks Emily, I was enthralled with the photo options I was seeing. 🙂
I love this! I will add this to my bucket list as well, it’s been many years since I have visited Italy!
Great! it’s best on a summer night or at Christmas time ????
How I love Tuscany. I’ve not been to this place. The umbrella road looks amazing. I will bookmark and make a note for my next Tuscany trip
The umbrella exhibit goes down today, I am so glad I got to see it. I wish it would return there next summer! But I still recommend the town. By the way, I noticed that you include Lucca in your recent post about touring Tuscany– Yay! That’s where I live!
This is so beautiful Chandi! What is the best time of year to visit?
The best time for this town is a very particular time slot: Summer evening/night. But not summer day. In heat of the day most of the good stuff is closed and residents are down at the beach (Marina di Pietrasanta). By happy hour time the town comes alive. Italians eat late, particularly in the summer. One can show up at one of the pretty restaurant tables out in the streets at 11:00pm for a meal, and the galleries can be enjoyed until late too.
In winter the town is more somber and doesn’t hold the same magic as a lively summer evening does. But it’s pretty at Christmas.
It’s wonderful. I’ll go to Italy in this November. There are so many places and I don’t know where to go first. Thanks for your suggestion. I think Tuscany is great choice for my trip.
Hi Mai,
If you come through Lucca this November let me know!
Yes, Tuscany is a great choice, just be sure to choose some smaller, less-known towns in Tuscany as well as the really known ones. Florence and Siena are superb, but get to some smaller less busy places too and you’ll get a good overview of the wonders of Tuscany.
Gorgeous!! I can’t believe I didn’t hear about Pietrasanta when I was staying in Lucca & Vorno last year! Would love to get back to this area- there are so many hidden gems still waiting to be discovered
Hi Brooke,
I hope you can come back soon! Yes, one thing that for me is endlessly intriguing about Italy is that there are always more stupendous places to visit!
Absolutely stunning! Such an interesting place. I love the colourful umbrellas, colorful chairs and lantern-lit tables, it would surely be a magical place to stay away from the crowd. I can’t believe you had an opportunity to met and interview Fernando Botero. I love his art. I was living in Medellin, Colombia and have visited the Museo Botero, a museum that preserves his art.
Hi Sreeram,
Thanks for stopping by, I’m glad you enjoyed the post. I didn’t interview Botero, I was quoting from The Florentine, a local magazine that did an interview with him. That’s great that you went to the Museo Botero in Medellin!
When in Italy, you can see art all around. Be it the glass wonders of Murano or the beautiful architectures. Pietrasanta seems to have some lovely and unique art as well. Couldn’t explore much of Tuscan towns on my last visit. Will surely do this time.
I was not aware of Pietrasanta and it being a centre of art. What a lovely place it is and so colourful. The street with the umbrellas looks so elegant. Whenever I thought about sculpture and art in Italy, I used to think of Florence, it being the centre of the reinassance. However Pietrasanta provides a fresh perspective.
Hi Sandy,
It’s hard to compare any city with art in it, to Florence, whose pre-eminence in art during the past 600 years is extraordinary, and as you said, it’s the birthplace of the Renaissance. Its legacy in art is unparalleled. In Pietrasanta you will not find something akin to Florence– it’s tiny and quiet compared to Florence but has pulled in some big name artists and has significant history in the business of sculpture.
This place in a lot of ways reminds me of the Waterfront that I saw in Mauritius. Maybe it is because of those umbrellas and the quaint lanes filled with open air cafes. I love that ambiance and am pretty sure I will love this place too.
Hi,
It’s interesting that the photos reminded you of an Indian Ocean island. In this part of Tuscany near the coast you tend to see quite a of vines and flowers that can seem tropical.
Tuscany is one place I would love to see. I am most impressed with Pietrasanta. What a great idea that they built an entire city for sculptors. I would love to visit the foundries and meet the artisans. Maybe even see them at work and buy from them.
So colourful!! It’s so pretty! 🙂
My home for the last 6 months. I will return again, but its time to leave this town for now.
Hi Haroun,
How nice that you have spent 6 months there. Are you an artist?
I never knew there is so much of art in Pietrasanta. The colorful umbrellas on the top with a perfect colorful setup and candles for dining is what makes my evening memorable. I am surely going to love this place and it too is an Instagrammers delight. Thanks for sharing this.
Do you know if the umbrellas will be up June 2018?
Unfortunately no, they won’t be, unless somehow the whole “show” repeats itself. It was an art installation that was going around to different cities in the world as I understand it. In Pietrasanta the umbrellas came down in September.
Thank you for this – I live near Casola and had heard of Pietrasanta but haven’t visited. I wonder whether they do anything for sculpture in clay? I was trying to find shim in Carrara recently, without success. Anyway, a friend is a fan of Pietrasanta so I think we’ll do a visit there soon – even if the umbrellas are missing. It will be good to encounter a town like this (Lunigiana is a wonderful backwater so I’m beginning to feel very uncultured).
Hi Cilla, this is a good time of year to go. It is so lovely on a warm summer night. Be sure you are there in the evening and not just in the day. On a hot summer day it is partially closed up, with most residents down at the beach.